Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
A breath of fresh air will breeze through the Premier Diner this spring.
The Georgatos family is renovating their Premier Diner at 690 Commack Road. Most of the work is already complete, Archie Georgatos said. What’s left are small jobs, such as hanging wallpaper.
The biggest changes center around the 1,000-square-foot addition to the south side of the dining room. The new space features a gorgeous fireplace and a hydraulics system that will raise every window pane along the southern most wall during the warmer months.
“It started with an outdoor patio,” Archie Georgatos said of the renovations that have been a year-and-a-half in the works. “Then it evolved into a huge project.”
The renovated outdoor patio at the front of the building is just about ready for showtime. The family removed the fake trees to set new pavers and free up room for tables with umbrellas.
The interior remodeling, which also included a new bar, kept the diner closed for 12 days. The joint reopened Jan. 15 with glowing green and purple ceiling lighting.
While the menu that regulars have come to know is intact, Georgatos said there are some additions.
There’s the ricotta sourdough toast for an appetizer, a burrata salad and a new cappuccino machine at the bar.
Georgatos has worked at the Premier Diner since his parents, Peter and Helen Georgatos, opened the eatery 17 years ago. He, his parents, and his brother Gus, all still work there.
He said the establishment’s most popular dish is the lamb chops with lemon, olive oil and garlic.
